Collinsville makes move to observe MLK Day

COLLINSVILLE, Ill. – There's new information to a story NewsChannel 5 first told you about in January.

The City of Collinsville doesn't give city employees a day off to observe Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day or receive holiday pay. Monday night the police department and the city made a move to change that.

The police department's union voted on a contract to add a holiday for MLK Day. To do so, the officers agreed to take less of a raise in the third year of the new contract.

Several months ago, we introduced you to Brandon Drake, who volunteers on the city's planning commission. He's been pushing for city workers to observe the MLK holiday since 2011.

Up until last year, City Hall was open on MLK Day, now it's closed to the public but employees still come to work to file or clean their workspaces.

The city manager hopes other city unions will follow the police department's lead.